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Wednesday, 24 August 2016

The Do's & The Dont's of deep conditioning

Do:

#1 Consistency- Deep condition regularly eg. every 2 weeks and stick to it. Have a routine that conforms to your daily life. Don't decide to deep condition twice a week and you busy 24/7.

#2 Start with the end-You need to keep in mind that our ends are the oldest parts of our hair strands so start by applying the deep conditioner to your ends and work your way up from there. Starting with your ends first gives it more time to absorb the moisture and necessary nutrients from the deep conditioner.

#3 Rotation- rotate between protein treatments and moisturizing treatments. Protein treatments don't need to be done as much as moisturizing treatments but still have to be done. Some people need more protein (high porosity) and some need just enough protein.

#4 Enjoy the hot stuff- The warmer your deep conditioner, the better your hair absorbs it.(Should not be hotter than 37 degrees Celsius). A warmer condition will be absorbed into your hair more effectively, than a normal deep conditioner. You can heat it up in the microwave for less than 1 min, or place your bowl/ container in hot water to warm it up.

#5 Greenhouse Effect- Use a heat-retention cap, hooded dryer, a steamer what ever will lock in the moisture. This will help with moisture retention. So if you forgot to heat up your deep conditioner this helps as well. Heating up your deep conditioner while it's on your head shortens the time needed to deep condition, and has the same benefits as the previous point.

Don't:

#1 Exaggerate- Too much of anything is never good for you even deep conditioners. Every 2 days that's a bit too much, and heavy on your budget. As mentioned before just do it as much as you need it. High porosity hair needs it more than normal and low porosity hair.

#2 Overspend- They all do the same thing so start with what you can afford, it doesn't mean cause it's expensive it'll work for you. Don't follow the trends, I know at times we may have someone we look up to and when we see them using something we want to try it too, but that's not how it works. When you find something that works for you stick to it.

#3 Use As An All-in-1 -Don't neglect your hair's need for other products such as a leave-in and essential oils just because you're deep conditioning. Deep conditioner does what it's supposed to do, which is restore lost moisture, and strengthen hair. We can't expect one product to do it all, cleanse your hair, work as a leave-in, and an essential oil. Give it a break!

#4 Work overtime- It should start to work immediately, and achieve it's full potential by 20 or 30 minute(shorter if you're under a hooded dryer, etc.). Keeping it on longer than it's supposed to be on will cause over-conditioning. Over-conditioning has it's consequences just like over-watering a plant withers it away, over-conditioning weakens your hair and causes build-ups.

#5 Hold on to the past- Once used it's safe to keep for a few days afterwards it needs to go in the trash. A deep conditioner that has been store for too long loses it's goodness and becomes useless or hazardous one of the two. Deep conditioners that have gone off actually contain bacteria in it, so you're going to be putting that into your hair. And you wonder why your scalp is itching???